Jay's Blog

40 miles in the books.... 60 more to go.... Day #2 was fantastic... I was joined by two HEROES.... Johnny from RRFD and Brandon from AFD and a former Marine battling PTSD... This was a very humbling walk... the conversation and company was great... These two men are fine examples of how to live you life... and I am proud to call them my friends! Thank you to Round Rock Fire and Georgetown Police for your escorts to keep us and fellow drivers safe!

Our goals are simple... To bring awareness to the epidemic known as PTSD with Military Vets....To help the Austin Dog Alliance and their program Hounds For Heroes that trains service dogs for Military Vets with PTSD! To HELP click HERE!

I have had a lot of people ask me "How can you walk 100 Miles? They tell me I "COULDN'T"... "NEVER"... "CAN'T"... Guess what? YES...YOU...CAN!!! I challenge you to go beyond your comfort zone and reach a place you've always wanted! You'll soon see how far from "CAN'T" it really is! Our Vets did that and now they need our help! #BeCourageous#PTSD#SupportOurTroops -- Jay Styles

I am so ready to hit the bricks of Austin and start walking for a cause I strongly believe needs our attention as much as any cause! I am so humbled to be able to have the resources and the support from Entercom Austin and the Austin Dog Alliance to be able to achieve this dream of mine and bring awareness to our Military Vets battling PTSD!

I am also VERY thankful to the following... Georgetown PD and Georgetown FD, Round Rock PD and Round Rock FD, Pflugerville PD and Pflugerville FD, and Cedar Park PD and Cedar Park FD for their help in protecting me during my walk and helping bring attention to me while out on the streets in support of our Vets! Remember next week I will be out and and about.. I thank you for your patience and a honk of support goes a long way!

THANK YOU to Fleet Feet in Round Rock for donating a pair of fantastic shoes to help me train leading up the walk! They're fantastic people and if you need a new running or walking shoe, they're your goto!

THANK YOU to Mario and Tina at Sockwork! Sockworkis a monthly sock subscription service that adds convenience and style to the sock shopping experience. We send customers two socks per month and donate 10% of our profits to a different Veteran charity each month. We are Veteran owned and extremely excited to support Jay Styles in his 100 mile walk to raise awareness of PTSD and support Hounds for Heroes. To show our support, we've decided to donate $5 for every purchase made with the coupon code "HOUNDS4HEROES" to Hounds for Heroes in support of Jay's efforts.

And............ THANK YOU for your support and encouragement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're 2 weeks AWAY!!!! This past weekend I was asked to drop the puck at the Texas Stars game for Military Appreciation Night! This was beyond humbling. On a night recognizing the heroism of current and former Military… I was asked and boy oh boy it was super cool! Thank you to everyone with Texas Stars for thinking of me and promoting the Courage Walk!

Training has been going fantastic so far. Whenever I can get a mile or 3 in I hit up our gym at work in jeans!

I hope you will help spread the word and help generously with the Austin Dog Alliance in their efforts to train service dogs for Vets battling PTSD! Click HERE to DONATE. To learn more about the ADA's Hounds For Heroes click HERE.

The 100 mile Courage Walk is BACK in support of Military Vet's battling PTSD! This year we are parterning with the Austin Dog Allianceand their program Hounds For Heroes which trains service dogs for Military Vets. 100% of your donation will go directly to the Austin Dog Alliance located here in Cedar Park and help fund their efforts in bringing a healthier life to our Vets!

FACT: It costs $15,000 to train 1 service dog!

The 100 mile walk will start on April 13 and run through April 17. Each day I will be walking 20 miles with routes in Cedar Park, Georgetown, Round Rock, South Austin, and Pflugerville! Please look out for me and honk your horn in support of the walk and more importantly our Military Vet's who have battled for our freedoms and now need our support!

EXCLUSIVE: Jay Styles “I am A Face Of Depression!”

Watch the 5 part interview Jay Styles gives about his up and down battle with depression
and how it lead to the Courage Walk!

Below you will see the exact walking routes I will be taking each day....... We will be starting each day at 9am... If you do see us on the road please be careful... BUT... Cheer us on! Thank you again for all your support!

Thursday 7/31 -- Central Market on Westgate (Sunset Valley) walk to the end of Manchaca and back to Sunset Valley

Friday 8/1 -- MIX 94.7 studios to the Domain
Thank you to everyone who have showed support for the Courage Walk to help raise awareness and funds for the Wounded Warrior Project to help our soldiers and veterans who are battling PTSD. Come celebrate a successful 100 mile walk at The Park at the Domain from 4-7pm. A journey that hopefully will open the doors of communication and help the HEROES who deserve and need it.

THANK YOU for your donations! To the local Austin businesses like SockWorkand its founder Mario for your sock and fiscal donations....

To Dustin owner of NorthSide Fitness in Cedar Park for his time and pationets in training me for the walk! From the bottom of my heart.... THANK YOU!!!

The "Courage Walk" is quickly approaching... I cannot believe my "passion" will come to fruition in just 4 days! While clearly my passion for the Military and my own personal battle with depression are the foundation behind the “Courage Walk.” I firmly believe… in our lives we MUST step outside of our comfort zone and test the limits of our mental, physical, and soul within. The following passage has meant a great deal to me in bringing clearity to my life. I hope it helps you just the same!

“Make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty.”
- Jon Krakauer

We're 1 week away! I cannot believe I am on the edge of fulfilling a dream of mine several years in the making! THANK YOU SO MUCH.. AGAIN.. to every business and listener who has donated their time and/or money to aid our Military Vets! They need us now more than ever!

I was in the Denton over the weekend with family... BUT... I managed to escape in the early hours to get some walking in! One question that kept coming up over the weekend... "Are you nervous?!" ... CLEARLY.. Anytime you take on something of this magnitude of course you will be slightly nervous of how it will go... BUT... Like I said in an earlier diary... I am not nervous about the physical or the outcome of the monetary goals... All I can control is actually doing the walk and hope that all else falls into place. If it falls short.... at least I did it, and maybe... just maybe I impacted one person battling PTSD or another form of depression for them to see that life is GREAT!!!

First off..................... THANK YOU... From the bottom of my heart for every local Austin business and MIX 94.7 listener who has helped donate their time and money to a cause that I am so passionate about... DEPRESSION and more specifically PTSD! When I first birthed this idea the constant question I would hear from those close to me is... "Are you ready to open about depression?!"... Without hesitation I said "YES!" For me this is a no brainer. PTSD needs to be combated. I am so humbled to be a voice in this fight!

Right now we're 9 days away from the walk and I cannot tell you how PUMPED I am! This weekend I will be spending time with my family in Denton, TX... BUT... They're well aware that I will be up and out the door at 5am on Saturday and Sunday walking and training. Oh, and one more question that has been thrown my way... "What if something happens to you on the walk?"... My answer is simple... I WILL FINISH NO MATTER WHAT!!!!! Rain or shine... Injured or healthy... One way or another I WILL FIND A WAY!!!!!!!!!

My goal is to raise $20,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project for all that they do for vets and specifically for how they combat PTSD! To donate please click HERE!